


Rising

by SunlightOnTheWater



Series: From The Ashes [1]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Episode: s04e10 Heaven and Hell, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-17
Updated: 2013-11-17
Packaged: 2018-01-01 22:06:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,855
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1049114
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SunlightOnTheWater/pseuds/SunlightOnTheWater
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Anna Milton was not the only angel who ripped out their grace.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Rising

She came to find him after her altercation with Dean, sitting down next to him. Sam kept his gaze on the floor, resisting the urge to reach for her, to pull her close to him and hug her tightly. Ever since they had found Anna Milton a voice in his head had been yelping delightedly, _"I've found her, I've found her, I've found her!"_ If he looked at her out of the corner of his eye he felt as if he _knew_ Anna. Knew her almost better than he knew himself now. Just being around her felt like seeing a friend he hadn't been around since childhood. They sat there for several moments before Anna sighed. 

"I feel as if I know you," she said. "I don't know why but it feels as if I've known you all my life and I'm just finally finding you again."

"Same here," Sam admitted. "I just wish I understood what was going on." Anna laughed tiredly, shaking her head so that her red hair drifted into her face. "Sometimes," Sam admitted softly. "When I look at you out of the corner of my eye I feel as if I've been looking for you my entire existance. Then I actually look at you and it feels so wrong that I think I'm going to be sick."

"I look at you and even the Angel Radio shorts out," Anna told him. "It's like I'm listening for something from you but I don't know what." They both shared a rueful laugh at the absurdity of the situation as Dean walked into the barn.

"Everything good?" Sam asked his older brother, tone wary. Things had been tense between himself and Dean ever since his older brother had returned from Hell and this situation with Anna, being forced to trust Ruby to pull through for them, wasn't helping matters.

"All set up on my end," Dean replied. "Now we only have to wait and hope Ruby pulls through on her end."

\---

The angels arrived first, bringing with them a wave of Angel Radio so fierce it stunned Anna for a moment. Carefully she shut it down, meeting the eyes of her killers without hesitation. She had been their superior in Heaven once and she owed them this much respect at least. Sam and Dean played their parts to perfection; Sam hurt and betrayed and Dean hopeless and resolute. Then it was her turn. "I'm sorry," Castiel told her.

"No," Anna protested gently. "You're not. Not really. You don't know the feeling."

"Still, we have a history," Castiel said and Anna silently cursed their superiors who thought it was a good idea to give the youngest angel in Heaven this task. "It's just-"

"Orders are orders," Anna finished for him. "Just make it quick."

"Don't you dare touch a hair on that poor girl's head," a new voice said and Anna had to fight down a grin. Ruby really had pulled through and brought Alastair after all.

"How dare you come in this room?" Uriel snarled, as always letting his temper get ahead of him. "You pussing sore"

"Name calling?" Alastair taunted. "That hurt my feelings you sanctimonious, fanatical prick."

"Turn around and walk away now," Castiel warned the demon and Anna stepped back with Sam and Dean to watch the coming fight. Dean had claimed that Uriel had her grace. All she had to do was wait until the chaos started and then take it back.

"Sure," Alastair returned with a shrug. "Just give us the girl. We'll make sure she gets punished good and proper."

"You know who we are and what we will do. I won't say it again. Leave now or we lay you to waste," Castiel demanded and Anna couldn't help but shake her head at the younger angel's foolishness. Neither Uriel nor Castiel had the strength to take Alastair on alone and whichever one did try might be killed. She wasn't entirely surprised to see Sam looking equally disappointed in Castiel as they watched the exchange.

"Then I'll take my chances," Alastair said. The two demons Hell's Master Torturer had brought with him lunged at Uriel and Alastair himself advanced on Castiel. Anna didn't have time to hesitate further. As Uriel destroyed one demon Anna scrambled towards him. While he was busy with the next one she reached under his collar and yanked at the chain she felt there. She was shocked when she ripped two off his neck. Two graces gleamed in small crystalline bottles, one a dark midnight blue with silver streamers and one a purer bronze color.

" _No!_ " Uriel yelled at her but Anna smashed them both, one after the other, on the barn floor. The first one, the bronze one, funneled into her mouth. The second one went to Sam. If the grace hadn't been filling her from the inside out Anna Milton would have smiled.

The grace flowed into her faster than it did for Sam, partially because hers had been released first and partially because there was more of Sam's grace. "Shut your eyes," she called. Sam's voice joining hers as she came closer to bursting free of her mortal skin. " _Shut your eyes, shut your eyes!_ " The last thing she felt before she ascended to Heaven was a brief brush of thanks from what had once been Sam Winchester.

\---

Castiel rose slowly to his knees, eyes fixed on the figure that had once been Sam Winchester. Six wings flared proudly behind the younger Winchester's back on the celestial plane; black, midnight blue, and silver blazing with glorious light. Over their communications he could hear Anna's, no _Anael's_ voice exalting, "Rejoice! Be glad for Samael has returned!" Uriel stumbled to kneel next Castiel, grace reeking of disbelief and terror. Castiel himself was struggling with his own disbelief. Samael, twin of Raphael and the youngest archangel in Heaven, could not possibly be Sam Winchester, the Boy With Demon Blood. It didn't seem possible.

"Uriel," Samael growled and Castiel's companion turned wary eyes up toward the archangel. "You and I have business to address. You removed not only Anael's grace but my own from their resting places, preventing any emergency protocols in place from ever happening. Furthermore you were plotting to keep Anael's grace from her in order to justify slaughtering one of your sisters." Samael's voice turned dark with fury as he spoke. "Get out of my sight before I become too tempted to take this matter into my own hands to allow you to live." Uriel fled instantly, leaving a now nervous Castiel alone with an angry archangel.

Castiel turned his gaze to the ground, making sure his wings were lowered submissively and pressed tight along his spine. "Castiel?" Samael's voice was soft and gentle. A warm hand slipped under his chin, drawing his gaze to meet Sam's calm one. "You have nothing to fear from me. You've done your duty well little brother." Castiel felt his posture relax some as Sam drew him to his feet.

"Sammy?" he heard Dean ask tentatively from somewhere behind them.

"Stay here for a moment," Samael told Castiel before turning to look at the human that had been his brother. "Yes Dean?"

"What's going on?" Dean asked and Samael's wings twitched with amusement. 

"I got my grace back," Sam said and Dean, despite his obvious confusion and unease, rolled his eyes.

"I got that part. What I don't understand is how you're angel."

"My grace was cut from me and I fell to Earth, becoming Sam Winchester," Samael explained. "There were safeguards in place on my grace so that if something like at Cold Oak happened to me it should have returned to me and brought me back fully to life as I was intended. Because Uriel took my grace from its proper place the protocol I st in place was destroyed."

"You mean if the junkless wonder had never taken your grace I never would have sold my soul and the first seal never would have been broken?" Dean asked, something dark in his eyes.

"Yes," Sam confirmed, his wings spreading slightly to show his own irritation with Uriel.

"You should have smited the Hell out of him," Dean growled but Samael was already shaking his head.

"He will face Micheal's judgement but I have not orders from our Father so I cannot pass judgement on him at this time," Sam said before turning back to Castiel. "Will you come with us little brother? Dean and I are going to seek out Gabriel and we could use your assistance." Castiel felt torn. On one hand there was an archangel asking for _his_ help but on the other side of the argument were his orders from Micheal himself. "I can assure you that Micheal will not punish you for assisting me," Samael added, reaching out to place a hand on the younger angel's shoulder. "It is your choice Castiel."

"I will assist you," Castiel said after a moment and Sam practically beamed at him, wings twitching in happiness.

"Thank you Castiel," the archangel said, brushing his grace gently up against Castiel's for a moment before turning to Ruby. "One last thing."

"I was _helping you_!" the demon yelped and Castiel realized the older angel had been holding her immobile this entire time.

"Yes, you were," Samael agreed. "For your own nefarious purposes but you were helping. That is the only reason I won't smite you where you are. As it is, I am still returning you to Hell." Then he snapped his fingers and Ruby was gone, the body falling limply to the floor. 

"Come on Sammy," Dean whined. "What good is it being an angel if you're not going to smite anything?"

"I'm being good," Sam said, rolling his eyes. "Now let's go find Gabriel before someone in Heaven gets the bright idea to try and track me down."

\---

"He _what_?" Raphael yelped, her wings flaring out to their full length in anger. Uriel huddled closer to the floor, frame shuddering with terror. Two encounters with furious archangels in one day was almost more than he could take.

"He has taken his grace back and he ordered me to leave," Uriel managed to get out. "If I would have stayed he would have destroyed me."

"How dare he?" Raphael hissed. "How dare he come back and think he can ruin all my plans?" She turned to Uriel then, surveying him with dark eyes. "Tell no one of this. All they are to know is that Samael has regained his grace, not who he is or why he lost it in the first place. Do you understand?"

"I do," Uriel hurried to reassure her. Raphael could be quite fierce when she was angered.

"Good," she snapped. "Then get out of my sight." She watched Uriel scurry away and waited until he was gone before beginning to pace. Samael's return may have set her plans back but ultimately they would prevail. The apocalypse would happen and when it did Micheal would cast down Samael as he had Lucifer. Then everything would be right in her world.


End file.
